A recent three-day national poll, completed on Sunday, indicates that a large majority of Americans expect the United States' military engagement with Iran to be protracted. The survey, which included 1,019 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of roughly four percentage points, found that 79% of respondents said they think U.S. involvement will "go on for an extended period of time," up from 65% in late March.
Just 18% of those surveyed said they believe the conflict "would end pretty quickly in a matter of weeks." Approval for U.S. military strikes stood at 37% among respondents. Those strikes were resumed on June 26, according to the information in the poll, after U.S. officials said Iran had attacked commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The polling took place as U.S. leaders announced a reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping in the Gulf. Officials said the United States would be reimbursed 20% on all cargo transiting the strait after Tehran reported it had closed the waterway and the two sides exchanged more missile and drone attacks.
Those renewed hostilities have cast doubt on an interim agreement reached last month, which had temporarily reopened the strait and paused the fighting while the parties pursued 60 days of additional negotiations. The U.S. president has said he regards the ceasefire as over, while also saying he remains open to returning to talks.
The poll reported economic anxiety tied to the conflict. Sixty percent of respondents predicted gasoline prices would worsen over the next year as a result of the war, and roughly half of those surveyed said they believe the war has not been worth its costs.
Political consequences were also highlighted in the polling data. The president's approval rating has stayed near the lowest levels of his political career since the conflict began, the poll indicates, and Republican strategists have warned that rising living costs have offset the political benefits of recent tax cuts. Observers cited in the poll material said higher gas prices and general cost-of-living concerns create a political risk for the Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections, where it faces the possibility of losing its House majority and potentially the Senate as well.
Poll details
- Sample: 1,019 U.S. adults
- Margin of error: about 4 percentage points
- Polling period: three days, completed on Sunday